Partick Thistle WFC v Glasgow City – 27th November 2022

It was arguably the two form sides of SWPL1 that went head to head at Petershill Park in this match with Thistle hoping the Family Fun Day, ran alongside this game, would coincide with a famous victory on the pitch. Sadly it wasn’t to be. The Family Fun Day helped swell the crowd to a record for a Partick Thistle WFC home game, but the Glasgow City visitors ran out 4-1 winners to climb to the top of the league.

To prise points away from the top three, full-time, sides in the division then luck needs to be on your side, and the important breaks need to go your way. That was emphatically not the case for Partick Thistle in this fixture.

As befitting a side enjoying an extended unbeaten run Thistle started this game brightly taking their more fancied opponents. Khym Ramsay deputising for the unavailable Megan Cunningham, and doing so exceptionally well, was required to save from Whelan inside the game’s opening 60 seconds but much of the first 15 minutes or so were spent in the Glasgow City half of the field although the aforementioned Ramsay did have to produce an excellent one handed save to tip a Foley shot over the crossbar.

The opening goal in any game is of vital importance and it was a major blow to Thistle that it came the way of Glasgow City after 15 minutes. The circumstances surrounding the goal being the very definition of controversial.

A Kozak shot following a cross from the left produced little more than a routine save from Ramsay and that seemed to be that. Both sets of players got back into position ready for action only for the referee to point to the spot and show Cheryl McCulloch a yellow card. Several subsequent viewings of the incident do show Kozak’s shot coming off the shoulder of McCulloch who had her back towards Kozak.

No amount of Thistle protestations were going to change the referee’s view that McCulloch had handled the ball and Kozak herself took the penalty and duly converted the penalty to give the away side the lead.

The loss of that goal, or perhaps the circumstances surrounding it, did seem to knock Thistle off their stride and City were close to doubling their lead in their very next attack; Foley missing a good opportunity right in front of the Thistle goal.

A second Glasgow City did arrive after 36 minutes and there was no doubting the legitimacy of this strike. Prades Insa’s pass find Whelan who shot past Ramsay and into the far corner of the net.

Two-nil became three-nil just 7 minutes later when Grant was able to head home a corner from the left.

With half-time fast approaching there was hope of a second half Thistle comeback when they were able to reduce the arrears. In view of what had happened earlier they were perhaps due some good fortune and it was a touch from Warrington from an excellent Cara Henderson corner that took the ball into the City net for an own goal.

If there was to be any prospect of a Thistle comeback then the next goal would have to come Thistle’s way. Instead it was City that re-established their three goal advantage just two minutes after the restart. Grant’s cross was touched back into the path of Prades Insa and her low shot found the corner of the net.

Walsh missed a good chance to further extend the visitor’s lead but the Thistle side is not without spirit and although as the game moved towards a finish the City lead was now an unassailable one they kept fighting to the very end. They nearly got reward for that when a Claire Adams free kick caused all kinds of problems for the City defence but skipper Demi Falconer was unable to force the ball home and it was eventually scrambled to safety.

It was ultimately a deserved and decisive win for Glasgow City but Thistle will look back at the controversial opening goal as a pivotal moment in the outcome of this game.